The Time Is Ripe To Indulge In Rich Harvest Of Tomatoes

Tomatoes in season are the right reason to indulge. Maybe this is the only time of year we should eat fresh tomatoes, or else call those pale things passing for tomatoes in January by another name.

After the vines wither in fall, and the last green tomato has been snatched from Jack Frost, I always switch to canned products, much more flavorful than the hard balls trucked north.

Despite efforts to retrieve lost flavor and texture of mass-market tomatoes during cold months, it stands to reason that any variety bred to survive a long truck ride is one tough tomato, not a prized tender fruit about to burst its skin.

The plump-to-bursting kind are here now, so gorge while you may on tomatoes reddening on the vine. They are a once-a-year treat.

Some of the best ways to indulge are the simplest: sun-warmed from the vine, of course, or taken to the kitchen and thickly sliced, sprinkled lightly with olive oil, white wine or a mild vinegar. Fresh basil, dill and cucumber- flavored blue borage blossoms are great tomato herbs.

As a little girl, I watched my grandparents sprinkle sugar over tomato slices, and then I understood why tomatoes are classed botanically as a fruit. With sugar, they almost taste like dessert. Such a tomato is an entirely different taste experience from a tomato plus salt.

Here are more tomato ideas in recipe form, but first, some tomato statistics to help the cook: 1 pound of tomatoes equals 2 large or 3 medium or 9 plum tomatoes or 24 cherry tomatoes.

Tomatoes (peeled, seeded and quartered) can be frozen as they are for future cooking purposes to skip the trouble of canning, but frozen tomato puree or sauce will be handier to use later on since it`s already

concentrated.

It all depends on your time bind now. You shouldn`t try to hold tomatoes by refrigerating them because the chill damages their flavor. If you have too many to use all at once, can if you can, freeze if you must.

To peel tomatoes for ultimate salad appeal, dip a few at a time into boiling water; fish out after 10 seconds and plunge into cold water. The skin should slip off in one piece.

MEXICAN PIZZA

One serving

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

1 large flour tortilla

1 tomato, seeded and sliced

1/2 bell pepper, sliced into rings

Sliced olives, optional

Oregano and minced onion

Monterey Jack cheese, sliced

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place tortilla on baking sheet. Top with tomato slices, pepper rings and olives. Sprinkle with oregano and onion. Top with cheese and bake 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Eat with a knife and fork.

TOMATO CASSEROLE

Six servings

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

4 medium tomatoes, sliced

1 cup shredded process swiss cheese

1 cup fine soft rye bread crumbs

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs, well beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion in butter. Place half the tomatoes in 10 by 6-inch baking dish. Top with half the onions, cheese and crumbs; repeat. Mix the sour cream, eggs and salt. Pour over all, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more.